Picking One's Battles: FDA is seeking 60 days of public comment on its proposed approval of AquAdvantage's genetically modified salmon. The environmental assessment was completed last spring, but the Obama Administration reportedly held off on its release to avoid provoking anti-GM activists ahead of November's reelection. Now the anti-biotech campaigners are arguing the salmon is "bad for the consumer, bad for the salmon industry and bad for the environment." Perhaps USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack should be lecturing the anti-GM crowd instead of farmers on being more strategic in the fights they pick. The fast-growing salmon will provide consumers with safe, lower-cost protein while reducing the threat of extinction to wild Atlantic salmon and...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.